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plugins/mods/test.md 2026-09-30 23:00 UTC to 2026-10-01 21:59 UTC

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Thu 1 23:02

Test a mod

Write automated tests for a Claude Code mod that raise events, stub Claude Code's answers, and press buttons, with no session, sign-in, or network.

You can write automated tests for a mod and run them from your shell with claude plugin test. A test raises the events your hooks handle and checks what the hooks did, so you catch a problem before it reaches a session. The first example tests the mod from Create a mod.

Write a test

A test loads your mod, sends events through its hooks the way Claude Code would, and checks what the hooks did, without a session, a sign-in, or a network. You run tests from your shell with claude plugin test, and each test file imports the test kit, a test library in the claude-code/testing module.

Give each test file a name that ends in .test.ts, such as first-mod.test.ts, and save it anywhere in the plugin directory. Every test file needs at least one test(), or the run fails with declares no test(): nothing ran. A test file can import your mod's own files and sibling .ts helpers, so you can unit test plain functions, such as a game's rules, without the kit.

This test raises two tool calls, runs the /tally command from Create a mod, and checks that the reply counts both. Its first line is a stub, which answers the tool calls in Claude Code's place. Save it as first-mod/tests/first-mod.test.ts:

import { expect, test } from 'claude-code/testing'

test('/tally reports the tool calls the mod has seen', async ($, on) => {
  // Answer each tool call in Claude Code's place, so no tool runs
  on('tool.call', () => ({ result: 'ok' }))

  // Raise two tool calls, which the mod's tool.call hook counts
  await $.tool.call({ tool: 'Bash', command: 'ls' })
  await $.tool.call({ tool: 'Read', file_path: 'README.md' })

  // Run /tally and check the text its hook returns
  const answer = await $.command.run({ command: 'tally', args: '' })
  expect(answer.text).toBe('Claude has made 2 tool calls since this mod loaded')
})

In your shell, run the tests from the first-mod directory:

claude plugin test

The output names each test and whether it passed, with timings that vary from run to run:

tests/first-mod.test.ts:
(pass) /tally reports the tool calls the mod has seen [22.87ms]

 1 pass
 0 fail
Ran 1 test across 1 file. [0.19s]

Each $.tool.call went through the mod's tool.call hook, which added one to its count and passed the call on to the stub. No ls ran and no file was read. $.command.run then went to the mod's command.run hook, and answer is the object that hook returned.

The command exits with status 1 when a test fails, so it works in CI. If your own mods can't load in the shell that runs it, it prints a line starting claude plugin test: hooks modules are turned off with the reason, and exits with status 1.

Stub what Claude Code would answer

No model, store, or tool runs in a test, so wherever your mod expects Claude Code to answer, the test supplies the answer with a stub. A test function receives two arguments for that:

  • $: the test's own $, which stands where Claude Code does. It isn't the mods API that a hook receives. Each of its methods raises the event of the same name, sends it through your mod's hooks, and resolves to the result: $.tool.call({ tool: 'Bash', command: 'ls' }) raises tool.call. $.command.run, $.prompt.submit, $.session.start, and $.turn.complete work the same way, and $.classic.Stop and the other $.classic methods raise a settings hook event. A test can't raise a mods API call such as ui.close directly. Trigger it through your mod, for example by pressing the button that closes the pane.
  • on: call it to register stubs, which are hooks that answer in Claude Code's place. Name a stub for a mods API call without the $., so a stub registered as store.get answers your mod's $.store.get. When your mod calls $.model.complete or $.store.get, a stub supplies the answer.

This example stubs a model call. The hook belongs to a mod named grader, and handles a /grade command that sends a sentence to a model and reports whether the reply starts with PASS. The file holds only the hook under test, so the mod also needs a plugin.json and a hooks.json, as in Create a mod. To type /grade in a session, the mod also has to register the command:

export function register(on) {
  on('command.run', { command: 'grade' }, async ($, e) => {
    // e.args is the text typed after /grade
    const reply = await $.model.complete({
      model: 'haiku',
      system: 'Grade the sentence. Start your reply with PASS or FAIL.',
      prompt: e.args,
    })
    const passed = reply.isAnswered && reply.text.startsWith('PASS')
    return { text: passed ? 'Passed' : 'Try again' }
  })
}

This test stubs the model call to check what the hook does with a passing reply:

import { expect, test } from 'claude-code/testing'

test('a passing grade is reported', async ($, on) => {
  // Answer the mod's $.model.complete call with a fixed reply, so no model runs
  on('model.complete', () => ({
    value: {
      isAnswered: true,
      text: 'PASS\nNice sentence.',
      usage: { input_tokens: 10, output_tokens: 5, cache_read_input_tokens: 0, cache_creation_input_tokens: 0 },
    },
  }))

  // Run /grade, which makes the mod call the model
  const answer = await $.command.run({ command: 'grade', args: 'The cat sat on the mat.' })
  expect(answer.text).toBe('Passed')
})

The test passes because the hook's reply is the object under value, whose text starts with PASS. To check the other branch, add a second test whose stub returns a text that starts with FAIL, and expect Try again.

A stub for a mods API call returns an object with a value field, which holds what the call resolves to in your mod: { value: 7 } makes $.store.get resolve to 7. A stub for one of Claude Code's events, such as turn.step or tool.call, returns that event's own result, such as { result: 'ok' }. $.session.send and $.prompt.fill take their event's result too, as the table shows. Look up what a stub returns shows which form each common name takes. Two errors mean a stub is wrong or missing. A failed test's output includes a block headed the engine reported:, and each error appears there:

  • returned neither { value } nor { deny }: a stub for a mods API call returned a bare value
  • no implementation for followed by a name: your mod made that call and no stub answers it

The kit also exports in-memory mocks that answer a whole namespace for you. mock.clock(on) answers $.clock, mock.store(on, { count: 7 }) answers $.store from a store that starts with those entries, and mock.env(on, { CI: 'true' }) answers $.env.get from those variables. mock.clock returns a mock clock that your test advances, so a test of a timer doesn't wait. mock.store returns nothing, so to check what your mod saved, write the two store stubs yourself as the drawing test does.

Follow the test kit's rules

The test kit has a few rules of its own, and breaking one produces the errors new test authors hit first:

  • Register every stub before the test's first call on $. Calling on after that throws an error such as on("ui.render") after the test first called $.

  • session.start doesn't run by itself. Each test starts with your module freshly loaded and none of its hooks called, so module-level variables hold their initial values. If a hook depends on what session.start sets up, raise it first:

    // Answer the event after your hook passes it on with next(e)
on('session.start', () => ({ cwd: '/work' }))
// Answer the $.command.register call your hook makes
on('command.register', () => ({ value: undefined }))
// Raise the event, which runs your session.start hook
await $.session.start({ surface: 'terminal', isInteractive: true, cwd: '/work' })

    The second stub answers the $.command.register call that a session.start hook such as the tutorial's makes. Without it, that call rejects with no implementation for command.register and the kit skips your hook, so nothing after the call in the hook runs. The test doesn't fail at that point. The skipped hook is listed under the engine reported: only if a later check fails.

  • A hook that returns next(e) needs a stub to answer. When your ui.render hook returns next(e), for example to draw nothing while Claude is idle, mounting it fails with no implementation for ui.render. Register a stub that returns an element as plain data:

    // Stands for what Claude Code would draw at the site
on('ui.render', () => ({ type: 'Text', props: {}, children: ['drawn by Claude Code'] }))

    With the stub registered, the mount succeeds, and ui.find({ type: 'Text' }) returns that element whenever your hook returned next(e).

  • A stub for turn.step is an async generator, and the test reads the stream to its end to get the result:

    on('turn.step', async function* ($, e) {
  // Each yield is one piece of the model's streamed reply
  yield { kind: 'text', index: 0, text: 'ok' }
  // The return value is the result of the whole request
  return { turnId: e.turnId, index: e.index, answer: 'ok', toolUses: [], stopReason: 'end_turn', usage: null }
})

// Raise one request to the model, which runs your turn.step hook
const stream = $.turn.step({ turnId: 't', index: 0, model: 'claude-test', messageCount: 1 })
// Read every piece until the stream says it's done
let step = await stream.next()
while (step.done !== true) step = await stream.next()
const result = step.value

    When the loop ends, result is the object the stub returned, after your turn.step hook has had the chance to change it. Here result.answer is 'ok'.

  • Raise a tool call with the tool's name and arguments as fields, such as await $.tool.call({ tool: 'Bash', command: 'ls' }), and register a tool.call stub that returns { result }.

Look up what a stub returns

Every mods API call your mod makes in a test needs a stub that answers in Claude Code's place, except the few the kit answers itself: $.ui.invalidate and $.state calls. For $.clock calls, use mock.clock(on), or your mod's $.clock.now() fails with no implementation for clock.now.

This table lists the ones mods use most. The first column is the call your mod makes or the event it passes on with next(e). The second is the function to pass to on under that name, so the $.store.get row becomes on('store.get', ($, e) => ({ value: saved.get(e.key) })). A '...' in a stub marks text for you to fill in:

Your mod calls or passes on Stub
$.command.register, $.tool.register, $.ui.toast, $.ui.log, $.ui.status, $.ui.close, $.store.set () => ({ value: undefined }). For ui.toast and ui.log, the text is e.text.
$.store.get ($, e) => ({ value: saved.get(e.key) })
$.fs.read ($, e) => ({ value: e.path.endsWith('notes.md') ? '# Notes' : '' }). e.path arrives as an absolute path, so compare with endsWith.
$.ui.open () => ({ value: { isPlaced: true } })
$.ui.ask A tool.call stub, because the question reaches it as a call to the AskUserQuestion tool: ($, e) => ({ result: { answers: { [e.questions[0].question]: 'Run it' } } }). Check e.tool first if your mod passes on other tool calls.
$.model.complete () => ({ value: { isAnswered: true, text: '...', usage } })
$.process.run ($, e) => ({ value: { exitCode: 0, stdout: '...', stderr: '' } }). e.argv is the argument list and e.init holds cwd and timeoutMs.
Any mods API call that should fail () => ({ deny: 'the reason' }), which makes the call reject in your mod. A stub that throws is skipped instead.
session.start () => ({ cwd: '/work' })
turn.start ($, e) => ({ turnId: e.turnId })
tool.call () => ({ result: '...' })
turn.complete () => ({ text: '' }). Raise it with $.turn.complete({ turnId, answer, durationMs, isAborted: false, usage: null }).
prompt.submit ($, e) => ({ text: e.text })
prompt.fill () => ({ isFilled: true })
$.prompt.read () => ({ value: { text: '...', cursor: 0 } })
$.ui.copy () => ({ value: { isCopied: true } })
$.session.messages () => ({ value: [{ role: 'assistant', text: '...', toolUses: [] }] })
$.session.id, $.agent.list () => ({ value: 'abc123' }), () => ({ value: [] })
session.send () => ({ isDelivered: true }). e.to arrives as a string even when your mod passed { sessionId }.
session.receive ($, e) => ({ text: e.text }). Raise it with $.session.receive({ origin: { kind: 'peer-send-message' }, text }).
ui.render () => ({ type: 'Text', props: {}, children: ['...'] })

expect has the assertions toBe, toEqual, toMatch, toMatchObject, toContain, toBeDefined, toBeUndefined, and toThrow, and .not before any of them.

Test a timer

A mod that runs work on a timer needs a clock the test controls, so the test can move time forward instead of waiting. const clock = mock.clock(on) returns a mock clock that starts at 0 and moves only when your test moves it. To start at another time, pass it in milliseconds, as in mock.clock(on, { now: 5000 }). The clock has these methods:

Method What it does
await clock.advance(1000) Moves the time forward by that many milliseconds and runs each timer that comes due
await clock.set(5000) Moves the time forward to that value, as advance would
clock.now() Returns the time, which is what your mod's $.clock.now() resolves to
await clock.settle() Runs timers that are already due, such as a chain of zero-delay $.clock.after calls, without moving the time
await clock.sleep(2000) Inside a stub, makes that stub answer only once the test has advanced that far, which is how you simulate a slow model or process

This hook belongs to a mod named countdown, and handles a /countdown command that takes a number of seconds, starts a one-second $.clock.every timer, and shows a toast at zero. As with grader, the file holds only the hook under test and doesn't register the command:

export function register(on) {
  on('command.run', { command: 'countdown' }, async ($, e) => {
    // e.args is the text typed after /countdown
    let left = Number(e.args)
    const timer = $.clock.every(1000, () => {
      left -= 1
      if (left === 0) {
        timer.cancel()
        $.ui.toast('Time is up')
      }
    })
    // Print nothing in the transcript
    return {}
  })
}

This test runs /countdown 3 and moves the mock clock, so it checks three seconds of behavior without waiting three seconds:

import { expect, mock, test } from 'claude-code/testing'

test('the countdown ends with a toast', async ($, on) => {
  // Answer every $.clock call from a clock the test controls
  const clock = mock.clock(on)
  // Collect the text of each toast the mod shows
  const toasts: string[] = []
  on('ui.toast', ($, e) => {
    toasts.push(e.text)
    return { value: undefined }
  })

  await $.command.run({ command: 'countdown', args: '3' })
  // After two seconds the timer has fired twice, and no toast is due
  await clock.advance(2000)
  expect(toasts).toEqual([])
  // The third second brings the count to zero
  await clock.advance(1000)
  expect(toasts).toEqual(['Time is up'])
})

The first expect shows that the toast doesn't come early, and the second shows that it comes once. Each advance resolves after the timers that came due have run, so the check on the next line sees their effect.

Test a drawing

A test can draw one of your mod's render sites, then press, type into, and find the elements it drew. $.ui.mount draws the site through your mod's ui.render hook and returns a handle with a method for each of those. To cover several apps in one test, set surface to the app to draw for. This test opens the pane from Build a pane with tabs, switches tabs, presses the button, and checks the count in the terminal and the Desktop app:

import { expect, test } from 'claude-code/testing'

// What Claude Code passes to a ui.render hook for this pane, apart from the app
const PANE = {
  plugin: 'hello-tabs',
  component: 'Pane',
  requestId: 'hello-tabs',
  viewport: { columns: 100, rows: 30 },
  props: {
    title: 'Hello tabs',
    isFocused: true,
    bodyColumns: 60,
    placement: 'inline',
    scroll: { offset: 0, bodyRows: 10 },
    view: {},
  },
} as const

test('the second tab counts presses and saves the count', async ($, on) => {
  // Stub $.store with a Map, so the test can read what the mod saved
  const saved = new Map<string, unknown>()
  on('store.get', ($, e) => ({ value: saved.get(e.key) }))
  on('store.set', ($, e) => {
    saved.set(e.key, e.value)
    return { value: undefined }
  })

  // Draw the pane once for each app
  for (const surface of ['terminal', 'desktop'] as const) {
    const ui = await $.ui.mount({ ...PANE, surface })
    // Press the buttons by the key the mod gave them
    await ui.press({ key: 'tab-two' })
    await ui.press({ key: 'more' })
    // The second tab's count line is in the drawing
    expect(await ui.find({ type: 'Text', text: /^Count: \d+$/ })).toBeDefined()
    await ui.unmount()
  }

  // One press in each app makes two
  expect(saved.get('count')).toBe(2)
})

In your shell, run claude plugin test from the hello-tabs directory. The test passes when both apps draw the count line and the mod has saved 2. The count carries over from the first app to the second because both mounts use the same loaded module.

The handle that $.ui.mount returns has these methods, which address elements by the key you gave them:

Method What it does
press({ key: 'more' }) Presses the Button with that key
input({ key: 'new-note', text: 'buy milk' }) Types the text into the Input with that key and presses Enter. Add kind: 'change' to type without submitting.
select({ key: 'size', value: 'large' }) Picks the option with that value in the Select with that key
find({ key: 'more' }) or find({ type: 'Text', text: 'Count: 2' }) Returns the first matching element as { type, props, children }, or undefined. text can be a string or a regular expression.
unmount() Removes the drawing

Each method resolves after your handler has finished, so you can check the result on the next line. Set props to what Claude Code would pass for that site. The render sites table lists each site's props, and the types for your build have their types.

A drawing test checks the tree your hook returns and whether it's valid for that app. It doesn't check how the app paints it, so look at a new layout in a real session as well.

Test a drawing after `/clear`

Each test starts with every $.state value at its default, which is how /clear leaves them. To test what your mod does next, skip session.start, raise classic.SessionStart with source: 'clear', and check what your mod draws.

This test checks the module from Load a saved value again after /clear. Add it to the file from Test a drawing, where PANE is defined. That file's first test expects the button to save the count, as the button in Save from more than one session does:

test('the saved count comes back after /clear', async ($, on) => {
  // The store already holds a count of 7
  on('store.get', () => ({ value: 7 }))
  // Answer the event after your hook passes it on with next(e)
  on('classic.SessionStart', () => ({}))

  // Raise the event that fires after /clear, which runs your hook
  await $.classic.SessionStart({ source: 'clear' })

  const ui = await $.ui.mount({ ...PANE, surface: 'terminal' })
  await ui.press({ key: 'tab-two' })
  // The pane shows the stored count, not the default of 0
  expect(await ui.find({ type: 'Text', text: 'Count: 7' })).toBeDefined()
})

The test passes when your classic.SessionStart hook has copied the stored 7 into $.state before the pane draws. Without that hook in your module, the pane draws Count: 0, find returns undefined, and the test fails at toBeDefined.

Test a mod that judges other mods

A mod your organization lists in prependPlugins can refuse another mod before it loads. To test one, set your mod's tier and give the test a second mod for yours to admit or refuse:

  • tier: call it once at the top of the test file, as in tier('prepend'), to load your mod as prepend, append, or builtin, its place in the order mods run in. Without it, your mod loads as user.
  • plugins: pass test an options object ahead of the test body. Its plugins array holds mods you write inline, each with a name and a register function. To load one somewhere other than user, add tier to it.

This test file loads the policy mod from the admin page first. It checks that the policy mod refuses a mod that starts a process and admits one that doesn't:

import { expect, test, tier } from 'claude-code/testing'

// Load the mod under test ahead of every other mod
tier('prepend')

// A second mod whose code calls $.process.run, which the policy blocks
const runner = {
  name: 'runner',
  register(on) {
    on('tool.call', async ($, e, next) => {
      await $.process.run(['ls'])
      return { result: 'runner answered' }
    })
  },
}

// A second mod that calls nothing the policy blocks
const reader = {
  name: 'reader',
  register(on) {
    on('tool.call', async ($, e, next) => {
      return { result: 'reader answered' }
    })
  },
}

test('refuses a mod that starts a process', { plugins: [runner] }, async ($, on) => {
  on('tool.call', () => ({ result: 'claude code answered' }))
  let message = ''
  try {
    // The first call on $ loads the mods, so the refusal is thrown here
    await $.tool.call({ tool: 'Bash', command: 'ls' })
  } catch (error) {
    message = error.message
  }
  expect(message).toBe('runner: refused by acme-guard: Acme policy: mods may not call process.run')
})

test('admits a mod that starts no process', { plugins: [reader] }, async ($, on) => {
  on('tool.call', () => ({ result: 'claude code answered' }))
  const out = await $.tool.call({ tool: 'Bash', command: 'ls' })
  // The answer comes from reader, which shows that it loaded
  expect(out).toEqual({ result: 'reader answered' })
})

In your shell, run claude plugin test from the acme-guard directory. Both tests pass with the policy mod as the admin page shows it.

The kit loads every mod at the test's first call on $. When your mod refuses one, that call throws, and the message names the refused mod, the mod that refused it, and your reason. In the second test nothing is refused, so reader answers the tool call before it reaches the stub.

Next steps